Promises
by syaoran no hime
Summary: Yoh made hsi brother promise that if something happens to him, he must look after his Anna. In the name of promises, he shall oblige. He will teach her to live and be strong, and in turn, shall be taught how to love. Hao/Anna
1. Default Chapter

_This fanfic I dedicate to my friends: Jess-chan, Cole-chan, Miko-chan, Apple-chan and to all other Hao/Anna fans._

_~ Syaoran no Hime _

P R O L O G U E

A couple of years had passed since the fateful shaman fight. I, who had been defeated, was living my pointless existence by counting the minutes away from my death. After I had lost my bid to the shaman king throne, I couldn't think of another reason why I should still hang around and pretend to live when everything had all been in vain. Out of my sheer will for revenge and desire to be the shaman king, I was reborn. Now that both were out of my hands now, death was the only escape I could think of from my harsh fate.

However, one seemingly ordinary day, I received a visit from someone I didn't expect…

"Hao, I know you're just around here," said Yoh, looking around the still forest. "I need to talk to you."

_I appeared , but this time, not enveloped anymore by the spirit of fire. "Why, if it isn't my little brother! To whom do I owe this privilege visit?" I made myself comfortable on a nearby boulder._

_His face relaxed into a grin. "Hi aniki!"_

_I blinked. I felt strangely warm when I heard him call me 'big brother'. I shrugged. "Did you stop by here just to greet me?"_

_"Iie." His face turned serious. "I…I came here to ask a favor from you."_

_"A favor?" I had to admit, I was curious. What would my little brother need my help for?_

_"It's about Anna…"_

_I felt my mouth twitch. "Is she still making you do those brutally insane trainings?"_

_"Well, yes-"_

_"And you want me to ask her not to continue with them anymore since the shaman king throne has long been nulled by the Guardians?" I guessed._

_"Er…no. It's not really about her trainings." He clenched his fists. "Tamao told me something today."_

_I remained silent, waiting for the rest of his explanations. However, I could already guess what was on his mind. Not good._

_"She told me something bothersome…it's just a prediction, b-but Tamao's pretty good at foretelling events." He sighed deeply. "She told me that I am bound to leave soon, and I cannot come back anymore. S-She told me…that I'm going to die."_

_Silence._

_"Not all predictions come true all the time," I pointed out._

_"Still, I want to be sure that in case that happens, everything will be in order," he said._

_"In order?" I asked._

_"I don't want to leave my duties even if I'm here no more," he explained. "And that's where you come in."_

_"Me?"_

_"Shilva taught me an Apache custom back in Patch Village. In case a man dies, his brother is held responsible to look after his wife." Yoh looked at me pleadingly. "When something happens to me, promise me that you'll go to Izumo and look after my Anna. Provide her a good and easy life."_

_"Yoh…"_

_"I do love her very, very much, and I don't want her to be left alone. I want to continue making her happy, because it has been all that I want to do ever since. Please, aniki, promise me!" he begged._

_I couldn't think of a reply. I was overwhelmed by the extent of human love, which I once thought as feeble and unreliable, just like the human heart. But looking at my brother now, my little brother whose desire to love his lady extended beyond his own life, I was amazed for a moment by its magnanimity. I found myself nodding._

_He grinned. "Thanks, aniki! I knew I could count on you!" He propped his arms behind his head. "Now I have to head home and cook dinner for us. Anna wanted something with broth, I think." His eyes lit up. "Hey, want to eat dinner with us?"_

_I laughed. "Somehow, I don't think your fiancée would like that idea very much."_

_He waved. "See you around!"_

But that was our last meeting. Three days later, while riding home on Yohmei's horse, the animal suddenly went berserk. His death wasn't elaborated anymore, but according to Opacho, he died protecting someone else from the horse' hooves…

His Anna.

"Where are you going, Master Hao?" asked Opacho upon seeing me gathering my cloak.

"I will pay my respects to the bereaved,"  I said simply. "And to make true to a promise."

My servant nodded slowly. "Would Master Hao want some company?"

"Ah no! Izumo is not so far away, although there are times that I miss the convenience of having the Spirit of Fire to take me anywhere I want to." I chuckled. I still felt bad about losing more than half of my furyoku, but Yoh opted to do that than kill me. There were just times that I couldn't comprehend how a human mind works.

I started to take my first few steps towards Izumo, then looked up at the sky. "Things I would do for my little brother." I had to smile despite  the gnawing sorrow in the depths of my heart. Until the very last moment of his life, my brother opted to love his Anna more than his own self. Typical Yoh.

But as for me…I couldn't imagine myself doing the same for anyone but myself. I suddenly doubted whether I was the right person to continue looking after Anna.

"No, I owe it to my brother, the only person who truly cared for me," I decided, continuing to walk towards Izumo. "I owe it to him. I will learn to love."

But who was Anna Kyouyama anyway? I remembered her most for being the first and last woman to slap me – one whom I wasn't able to intimidate. Yes, the perfect shaman bride for a shaman king. One who wouldn't hold her husband back, one who was strong enough to look after herself when her husband couldn't. Yet I realized that as I taunted her fiancée, her iciness eventually melted in her flaming fury. Ah, she was a devoted woman too. No wonder Yoh loved her so much.

I then wondered how she was taking things right now. Was she crying? Was she uncaring? Was she putting up a brave act in front of everyone right now?

I hastened my pace. I already want to see the answers myself.

Mikihisa was the one who let me in. Everyone else was looking at me strangely – especially Yoh's friends. I ignored them, and instead headed for the altar by the window. I knelt down and looked at the picture of the lively, grinning Yoh. This was how I exactly remembered my happy-go-lucky brother. I couldn't believe that this was not the case anymore. I bowed at his jar of ashes and prayed for his soul, restating my promise to take care of Anna.

"Have you eaten already?" asked Kino quietly.

I shook my head. "Thank you, but I'm not hungry." I looked around. "Where is my brother's woman?"

"If you must know," said Yohmei, looking at me not without a touch of disgust. "She's resting in her room now. She had undergone quite a trauma, seeing Yoh die right in front of her. She also met an accident herself."

"I see." I stood up and headed out of the door. "I will just come back tomorrow and check on her."

Mikihisa sighed. "I won't do that anymore if I were you. We have all tried to talk with her, but she just shuts us out. She won't even listen to her Kino-sensei."

"I will make her listen then," I promised before leaving. As I pushed the gates open, I noticed something move in the corner. I decided to go check on it with detached curiosity.

Only to find a girl sitting on a wheelchair, her golden hair dancing with the light breeze. 

She must have sensed my presence too, for she had turned my way.

Her dark, fathomless almond eyes looked obviously displeased to have a stranger intrude in her privacy. "Asakura Hao," she said evenly. "What sort of ungodly misfortune brought you here?"

"It's been quite a while, eh?" I drawled. "Just a social call, that's all." 

"Leave," she ordered before turning away from me.

I didn't. I stepped towards her instead. "Bound by the wheelchair, but still as stunning as ever, dear sister-in-law."

"Is a five-letter word too complicated for you, Asakura Hao?" she snapped coolly. 

"Ah, and I thought they said you were emotionally-damaged," I chuckled.

"I think this is an improper time for your social call," she said mockingly. "My fiancé just died, you know."

"I know. I saw there was a lot of people in the house."

She maneuvered her wheelchair to face me. Her eyes looked swollen from crying, but they still roared in anger. "You are a brute through and through, do you know that? Respect my fiancé's wake, please."

"I came here as my brother ordered me," I said. "He wants me to look after you. And yes, I know I'm a brute through and through."

Her eyes froze. "Yoh…asked you to look after me?"

"Right," I said. "So try to control your enthusiasm."

She looked down at her lap, her hands trembling uncontrollably. "Why you?" she hissed.

"I don't know myself, but I respect my brother's wish. So whether you like it or not, you are now under my custody," I said.

"Never!" she said, her voice rising.

"I repeat," I said patiently. "Whether you like it or not, I'll be by you constantly. Deal with it." I bowed. "Good evening, Anna." With that, I walked away.

And thus began my journey in learning to love.

**tsuzuku**


	2. 2

I ran my fingers on the picture of my fiancé. On his sheepish grin, on his unruly hair, on every little detail of him that I wanted to remember and I wanted to keep.

I could feel tears welling up my eyes as I remembered what happened that fateful afternoon. Yoh and I were about to go home from fishing when the horse suddenly heard a gunshot. It suddenly went hysterical, throwing both of us in the ground. Then everything happened as if in slow-motion. The horse was about to step on me mercilessly, and I couldn't move – my feet won't budge and I couldn't even feel them anymore.

But Yoh suddenly crouched in front of me, using his back to protect me from the hooves. I watched in horror as the horse pounded on him repeatedly, but he didn't move away. I could remember how he tried to grin weakly seconds before the horse gave up on trying to pound him and ran away to the  opposite direction.

"Why didn't you move away?" I asked, voice breaking. He still was on top of me, and his chest was heaving heavily, as if it was taking him Herculean effort to even breathe.

_He grinned forcibly. "N-No one can hurt my Anna…" He suddenly coughed out blood, sending me into panic._

_"Yoh!!!" I wanted to get up and bring him to the nearest doctor. I tried to stand up, but only felt severe pain. A tear streaked from my eye out of frustration._

_"D-Don't," he begged, wiping the lone tear from my eye with his finger. "I don't want to see you cry, ever."_

_"We have to bring you to the doctor." I looked around desperately, but no one seemed to pass this way at this time of the day. I turned to Yoh, who was lying on the ground, his attempts to breathe more painfully audible now. "Yoh, hang on. I-I'll call for help."_

_His half-closed lids smiled at me weakly before he coughed. Blood tainted his hands. Dread filled me. I cupped my hands. "Tasukete!!! Tasukete!!!" My voice was carried by the wind, but not far enough for anyone to hear. I trembled in fear. If nobody hears us within an hour, Yoh will…Yoh will…_

_I turned to him again and gasped when I saw his eyelids drooping. I crawled towards him shakily. "Yoh…Yoh, no. D-Don't sleep."_

_"I-I'm so sorry. I-I know I would do anything for you," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I would do anything Anna says, Dakedo…I feel so tired…and sleepy…"_

_"Y-Yoh, shut up! Save your strength! Help is coming."_

_He lifted his hand with what seemed to me his last ounce of strength. I immediately took it and smoothed it against my cheek. "Don't you dare go to sleep, Yoh Asakura," I threatened. "I'll never forgive you."_

_"Anna, do you know how much I love you?" he asked softly._

_A tear streaked down my face. "Enough to watch over me and love me all my life."_

_He grinned. "And when I go, I hope he'll take care of you too."_

_"H-He?"_

_"I'm sorry to let you down. Can't fight off sleep…I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me someday." His eyes closed with finality, and the hand I was holding against my cheek turned cold._

I returned to the present when I heard a knock on the door. Must be Kino-sensei.

"Come in," I said, trying to hide the shakiness of my voice.

To my utter dismay, it was Asakura Hao standing by the doorway, an annoying smile on his face. His eyes went to my swollen eyes, then at the picture frame I was holding. He shut the door behind him and sat on the edge of my bed so we would be face-to-face.

My first instinct was to turn my back on him and ignore him, but with the twinkle in his eye, I knew he was expecting me to do that. I decided to do the opposite. I matched gaze with him, keeping my face carefully blank. "What are you doing here, Asakura Hao?"

He chuckled. "Are you always like that, Anna? You let people into your room then you ask them what they're doing in there?"

"State your business and leave," I said coldly.

"Well, it was a warmer welcome than I expected." He shrugged. "Let's see…I came here to carry out my brother's wishes…to look after you." He then peered at the picture frame I was holding. "Yoh is really photogenic, eh? I wonder why you're crying when he looks good in that pose."

I was aware of the anger rapidly building within me. I resisted the urge to shout at his face, knowing that losing my temper would only delight him. I hugged the picture close to my heart. "I didn't expect Master Mikihisa to let you in the house through the front door."

"Ah no. Actually, I came in through the bathroom," kidded Hao. Upon seeing the horrified look on my face, he laughed. "Ah, you take things too seriously. Mikihisa is my father too, you know. I'm an Asakura, so I have every right to walk on whatever grounds I wish to do so." He cupped his face, looking at me amusedly. "By the look on your face, you were expecting me to come from the window, with all the glory of my furyoku."

"Plausible," I said sarcastically.

Hao grinned. "Don't worry. I'll do that next time, if it would entertain you."

I crossed my arms. "Thank you for keeping me company. Now leave."

He frowned. "Why, lady! That's rude! I've barely stayed here for more than two minutes."

"All Yoh asked you to do is to check on me. I'm still alive, so what else do you want?" I snapped.

"You call yourself alive in that case?" he asked, his eyes going up and down my body. "You look like one of the cast of Resident Evil…bit by the T Virus-"

His words were stopped by my slap.

"Who do you think you are, meddling with my life?" I yelled. "Do you expect me to be all cheerful like you even if I just lost someone very dear to me?"

Hao carefully turned his gaze back to me, his smile gone. "Does Yoh always let you get away with those nasty slaps?" he asked quietly.

"Of course," I said.

He stood up and crouched towards me. "Listen to me, dear sis-in-law. If you think you can do that again to me, I swear I'll punish you. I have a lot of ways to do that." His voice lowered dangerously. "I won't hesitate to do that, because I'm not a very patient person." He got up and went back to his previous seat, not taking his eyes off my stunned face. "For this time, I will let that one pass. I know your mind is still not clear and you are mourning. However, next time I may not be so lenient…"

"Damn you!" I hissed. "Does Yoh know what kind of a person did he ask to look after me?"

"Why are you asking me? I'm not Yoh." He tipped his finger on his chin. "Wait…he's originally part of my soul too, so…I think I'm sort of like Yoh, but I'm not really him." He shrugged, his face composed once again into a smile. "Really now, Anna, instead of complaining, why don't we just try to get along? I mean, I know you care deeply for my brother, and I admire him too. Just for his peace of mind wherever he is now, maybe we should call it a truce."

"That's foul," I said quietly. "Using your brother for your blackmails."

He chuckled. "Smart girl. I think I'm starting to be a little afraid of you already." He held out his hand. "So what do you say? Let's just try to not get on each other's nerves, then maybe we could work something out. I hate to disappoint Yoh."

I looked at his hand, then at my hand too. I then reached out and touched his hand. He smiled and bowed to kiss it. "Good." He smiled. "Now I want you to try not thinking of the accident. Try to remember instead the times that you were happy with my brother."

"Easier said than done."

"I agree, but it's worth a try. Letting go will help you recover."

"You have some nerve talking as if you are an expert in human feelings. You don't have the slightest idea about human nature."

Hao grinned. "Got me there, but not exactly. My brother has taught me a bit about them, how they work. And then some." He got up and stretched. "I think my time is up." He turned to the door, and I followed his gaze. Yohmei and Kino were standing guard.

Hao smiled at me. "Eat up, Anna. Gather your strength, then I'll take you out."

"Whoever said that I'm coming with you anyway?" I asked.

"Anna, you have more furyoku than I do. If you wish, you can throw me over Mt. Fuji and I won't be able to resist." He saluted and left, surprisingly, using the door. Hao acting civilized? I shook my head, then looked at the picture of Yoh.

"You may be twins, but you are as different as day and night," I told the picture. "You are the day and he is the night." I laughed humorlessly. "Too bad the sun set. Yoh, what were you thinking anyway? With you, I am pretty certain about my feelings. I know that what I see in the light is what I really get. On the other hand, he is unfathomable; in his darkness I am not really sure of what he's thinking of." I shook my head. "But I'll be strong, Yoh. I am Kyouyama Anna, bride of the shaman king. I can make the underworld collapse with my will, that's what you told me before, remember?" I kissed the picture lovingly. "I will make you proud of me. I'll survive."

**tsuzuku**


	3. 3

I absent-mindedly touched my cheek, smiling.

"Master Hao?" asked Opacho, looking at me strangely.

I grinned. "What is it with women that I cannot comprehend? Why are they so emotional? Why can they be so stubborn?" I looked down at the piece of bread that Opacho and I were sharing. "How ever did Yoh manage to survive someone like her? She is a labyrinth."

"What is puzzling Master Hao so much?"

"My sister-in-law." I chewed on my bread thoughtfully. "My brother is gone, and no tear in the world can bring him back. So why is she still mourning? It's been days already."

"Maybe Master Hao should not bother about her anymore."

I chuckled. "I can't let Yoh down." I finished my meal, then stood up. "I'm going to see her again."

"And get slapped again, Master Hao?"

"Yes, and get slapped again, Opacho." I smiled. "However, I won't be very indulgent this time."

"Maybe Master Hao should change his strategy," suggested the servant.

"Hmm?" I looked at Opacho curiously. "Tell me about it."

"Maybe Master Hao should try to sympathize with her instead of antagonizing himself."

I rubbed my jaw. "Anna is too smart. She'll know immediately my insincerity."

"But helping her out…isn't Master Hao sincere about that?"

I paused, then shrugged. "I don't know…but one thing is for sure. I'm very bored, and I need something to do. Visiting her suffices. That, and for my brother."

I was back in the Asakura house, and to my amusement, Yohmei was standing guard, as if expecting me.

"What are you planning to do with Anna?" he asked grimly.

I chuckled. "So until now, you don't believe me? Yoh asked me to look after her."

"Don't think of trying to pull anything funny, Hao."

I grinned. "I won't pull anything that won't make Anna laugh. You have my word." I then headed for her room.

Just like the other day, I found her seated on the wheelchair, holding Yoh's picture. I felt something pinch within me. Why is it that when I died, no one cared enough to mourn for me that way? Was I really that evil? That unloved?

She turned to me, sensing my presence at once. Her eyes, swollen once again, turned steely. "Not again."

I laughed. "Yes, I'm checking on you again." I looked at the untouched breakfast tray by her table. "I see. You're acting like a brat again."

She exhaled sharply. "I'm not hungry."

I ignored her. I took the tray and bit on the muffins. "Hmm….good. The pink-haired girl must have worked really hard on these. Yum, they're luscious!" I reached for the glass of orange juice. I sniffed it, then grinned. "Freshly-squeezed. I wonder what time did Kino wake up just to squeeze the best oranges for you."

She bit her lip, looking away.

"Oh well, it's a shame for them to go to waste. I might as well eat them." I continued to bite on the muffins. "Mmm…your cooks here can put to shame the restaurants downtown anytime. Not only because of the superb cooking, but because they put a lot of care into these dishes." I smiled at her, who was looking at the food tray, eyes shaking. She suddenly wheeled towards me, reaching for a muffin too. I pretended to look out at the window, enjoying the scenery as she finished the rest of the muffins.

I then noticed Yohmei and Kino looking at me from the slightly ajar door, astounded. After so many days, Anna was finally able to eat.

"I'll be back tomorrow to check on you again," I told her as I was about to leave. She didn't reply. Her eyes were cast on the scene outside her window. I grinned, then strode to leave.

I met Mikihisa standing in the hallway. I grinned at his bird mask-covered face. "Ei, otoo-san!" I greeted sarcastically.

"Shut up." He crossed his arms. "Kino and I just want to thank you for what you did. You helped Anna to eat."

"Just doing my job." I shrugged, as if it was no big deal.

"She was deeply hurt by what happened…she had cared for Yoh since childhood…so you must understand why it isn't so easy for her." His voice softened.

I was getting disturbed by the awareness of something tugging within me. I grinned carelessly. "People come and go, it's a fact of life."

"True. But some people stay for awhile, touch our lives, and we never ever forget that moment. That is what Anna is going through now."

"Nonsense. Emotions make human hearts weak."

"You'll take a second thought on that later. What Yoh did for Anna, protecting her till the end…that's beautiful strength, Asakura Hao. And it came from the human heart…from the same emotions you ridicule, which is love." Mikihisa watched me walk away. "You would understand this someday, Hao, or you would be half a man. There are things that are far stronger than your Spirit of Fire. Haven't you learned your lesson yet in the shaman fight?"

I pretended not to hear him. No, I couldn't allow his words to disturb my mind. Humans are weak creatures, the human heart even more so. Love drives people to destruction, just like how Yoh died for love and how Anna was starving herself because of love.

And I don't intend to be a victim of such foolishness too.

The next day, I was on my way again to the Asakura House when I noticed the commotion of small children by the roadside. I was about to ignore it when I heard a soft cry, as if coming from a child. That got me – even shamans like me are vulnerable to children.

I saw a couple of week-old kittens crying at its mother cat – ran over perhaps by a vehicle. I clicked my tongue – just because of one man's recklessness, a life was thoughtlessly taken. Once again, my belief on human inferiority was reinforced.

One kitten licked the mother's unmoving face, as if trying to wake it up.

"Grieving," I thought. I then remembered Anna. An idea came to me suddenly. 

I could feel how the whole Asakura House was gaping at me. Yohmei said nothing when he opened the bedroom door of Anna for me, then shut it after I was let in.

Anna turned to me in her usual icy manner, but paused when she saw what I was holding.

A basket of fluffy white and brown kittens. And me holding it was quite a scene perhaps on her mind.

"I found them on my way here," I said nonchalantly, placing the basket on the table. "Their mother got ran over by a thoughtless driver, and I know that if I leave them on the streets, they might not survive. So I brought them here. I know a lot of you can take care of them."

Her eyes looked eagerly at the smaller, more playful brown kitten. I obliged and took it, then handed it to her. The cat started to cry, and Anna quickly pressed the little one on her neck, nuzzling her cheek against its furry warmth.

I had to smile at the scene. "I forgot to ask whether you have a history of asthma."

She turned to me for a moment, then shook her head.

I knelt down and took the white one. "Alright, we'll have one each."

She nodded. The kitten she was holding has already pacified. "I'll call him 'Brownie'."

I sweatdropped. "Isn't that a name of a puppy?"

"I don't care."

"OK then, I'll call mine 'Shirayuki'."

"I didn't know you were a fan of Disney cartoons."

I held the kitten up. "Fur as white as snow. Snow white."

Her mouth twitched. "Oh. OK." She petted her pet kitten then looked at the kitten I was holding, much more behaved than Brownie. "Can I hold Shirayuki-hime too?"

"By all means." I handed her carefully the white kitten, and she hugged it against her breast, her finger smoothing its fur.

I smiled proudly. I should have guessed earlier the therapeutic effect of animals. Well anyway, I was just glad that she was holding on to something aside from the picture of my deceased brother.

"Arigatou…"

I blinked, and turned to Anna. She wasn't looking at me – but no one else was in the room, and unless the kittens could talk…

"You're welcome," I said, my eyes on the sleeping creatures on her chest. "Lucky things," I said in mock envy.

She glared at me, but she didn't mutter profanities, perhaps afraid to wake the little ones up.

That night, Opacho watched as I fed Shirayuki with bread moistened by milk.

"Why did Master Hao suddenly decide to have a kitten?" asked Opacho.

"Oh, don't be jealous. You're still my favorite pet," I laughed, then turned to the small white kitten. I smoothed its tiny head with my finger, all the while feeling the smile on my face.

Maybe the animal was doing its therapeutic magic on me too. I then remembered Anna, and I concluded that she was working wonders on my boredom too.

**tsuzuku**


	4. 4

I was sitting on my wheelchair, enjoying the breeze as Brownie played on my lap, trying to catch the beads of my itako necklace. He was easily irritated by the moving beads, but unfortunately, him pawing it was only making the beads rock faster.

"Oh Brownie, you are such a moron," I said, smiling. "Maybe if you sit still and wait, the beads would stop moving."

To my surprise, it looked at me in seeming comprehension and then sat down on its legs, waiting for my necklace to stop moving.

After a while, it stopped swinging. Brownie got up, wagged his tail, and pounced on the beads. The necklace began to rock again as the kitten leapt wildly. I laughingly hugged the kitten to my chest. "Your stupidity reminds me of somebody…"

On my mind, the face of my fiancé appeared.

"Yoh…" I whispered. Suddenly, the memory of Yoh giving me his last weak smile before he ran out of breath came back to me. I felt a sharp ache in my heart, and felt myself tremble violently.

The complaining mew of the kitten jolted me back to reality. I then realized that I was squeezing Brownie too much.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I'm trying not to remember…I'm trying my best not to be reminded anymore…"

Dakedo, when I decided to adopt the kitten, wasn't it because the creature's hyperness reminded me of my fiancé?

I wheeled myself back into my room.

The next morning, as sure as the sun's ascent in the east, Hao stopped by again in my room. This time though, he was a bit more welcome than before – he was bringing Shirayuki along with him.

I hugged the white kitten. "How is Shirayuki-hime doing this morning?"

"Fine," said Hao in a mock kitty voice. "Master Hao fed me with lots of milk and bread this morning, and he gave me a bath too!"

I glanced at the grinning boy. "You _what_?!"

"Huh? Did I say anything?" he asked innocently, his voice returning to its normal mode.

I ignored his crack. "Why did you give a small kitten a bath already?!"

"Well, for one…it stinks."

I frowned. "What if Shirayuki-hime died from the cold?"

"Well, for starters, I'll bury her somewhere really far away," he kidded.

"Damn you!"

"Hey, I was just kidding! Why should I do that?" he asked, laughing.

"I don't know."

"Don't take me too seriously. Where's your sense of humor?"

"Your humor is sick."

"Prove it."

"You find killing your former shaman opponents in the shaman fight 'fun'."

He shrugged. "This world has no place for weaklings like them."

"And yet you saved these kittens?" I asked testily.

He blinked, then laughed. "These helpless kittens are more worthy than the pointless lives of those weaklings."

"Who died and made you the judge of mankind?" I snapped.

"I am merely delivering salvation to the world." He motioned carelessly to the surroundings. "These goodness around us are corrupted by evil humans and the weak shamans that protect them." He sighed. "However, the world is not yet ready for my concepts. I'll just have to wait for another five hundred years then."

"Your wait will be in vain. The world will _never_ be ready for your beliefs because they are wrong." I looked out at the window. "You cannot change the world by setting everything in flames. The end can never justify the means. You cannot guarantee that once you have an all-shaman existence when you rule, no more evil shall happen. But if you change the world with love…"

"Love," he scoffed. "That is just rubbish. In the entire history of mankind, love has been present, but has it made living better?"

I was about to reply when he stood up. "End of discussion, Anna. What you will say will not change my mind. I came here for something else."

I eyed him with detached curiosity. 

"I want to help you get rid of that damn wheelchair already," he announced.

I immediately scowled. "I will never walk again."

"Do not be stubborn. Do you want to be a burden to the family all your life? To be served in your room for your meals? To be the cause of worry for the whole family?" he asked.

I bit on my lip. "I…will not walk."

I gasped when he suddenly strode towards me purposefully. He lifted me up from the wheelchair effortlessly and placed me by the door. He then went to my bed, sat on the covers, and watched me expectantly.

"What do you expect me to do?" I asked coldly.

"I expect you to crawl your way here, or else…" He reached for Brownie suddenly and positioned him outside the window. The kitten struggled fiercely when he sensed what Hao was about to do.

My heart dropped. "Brownie!"

"Make a way that you can reach me here as soon as possible, or my arm might get tired and suddenly drop this poor creature."

"No, you won't do it!" I cried. "Y-You're bluffing! You just saved him yesterday! Y-You can't just do that!"

"Don't test me, Anna." He wiggled the kitten, frightening Brownie more.

"B-Brownie!" I suddenly felt adrenalin rush within me. I struggled to get up, but felt sharp ache. I didn't collapse back to the ground; I tried to crawl this time, using my arms to paddle my body towards the bed just some meters away from me.

Hao watched me, a triumphant smile on his face. He took the frightened kitten back into the room as I reached the floor beside me, panting. He knelt down by me and placed Brownie beside me. The kitten immediately rushed to my neck, cowering in my plentiful hair.

"Hao Asakura…I hate you!" I hissed.

"When another similar situation arises, and in that opportunity, your perpetrator may not be bluffing anymore, what will you do?" he wanted to know. "Just because you don't want to make use of your legs…"

I clenched my fists. "I hate you…" I repeated.

"How then can you protect the ones you love?" he continued, gazing at my kitten. "So stop your nonsense. Whether you like it or not, you will get rid of that wheelchair. You will walk again. Mikihisa told me that you still have the possibility to walk. If Yoh was here, he would want to see you walk again with your own feet too."

I averted my gaze from him. The very reason I didn't want to walk anymore was because of Yoh. I felt so useless – if only I had been able to force myself to walk, Yoh would have been brought to the hospital, and then he wouldn't have died.

It was all my stupid fault…

A tear streaked down my face, and I wiped it angrily. "I hate you…" I hissed, forcing myself to hold on to the edge of the bed to heave myself up. Sharp ache sliced through my legs again, and I was about to collapse back into the floor had not Hao held my waist and arm.

"You sound more like you hate yourself," he said sadly.

"You don't have the right to assume my feelings!" I snapped, my temperature rising. No, it was not only because of anger. This was the closest that we had ever been since that time before the shaman fight – when I slapped him for taunting my Yoh. I struggled to untangle myself from him.

"Anna, listen. Yoh knew beforehand that he would die-"

"SHUT UP!" I yelled, clamping my hands over both of my ears.

"It wasn't your fault-"

"I'M SO STUPID! IT WAS ALL BECAUSE OF ME! BECAUSE I WAS SO HELPLESS!!!"

"Anna-"

"HE DIED BECAUSE OF ME!!!" I sobbed, finally releasing the pain tearing me apart for countless nights.  I was about to scream some more when he suddenly yanked me into his arms. My face fell against his mantle, his strong muscles around me.

"My brother's greatest happiness is to live and die for you, Anna," he said gently. "I'm sure that even if he lives again and is given the same opportunity, he would do that again and again…that loving idiot."

I shut my eyes weakly, my shoulders shaking violently. "I killed him…I killed Yoh…"

"Anna, hating yourself will bring you nothing good," he said, surprisingly, in a  patient voice. "You're making fuss over nothing, and that's not the right way to appreciate what my martyr brother did."

I felt my eyes widen.

"Yoh would like it very much…if you forgive yourself already and continue living," he murmured against my hair.

I pulled away and found Hao smiling at me warmly.

"All his life, what he had only thought about was your happiness. Isn't it about time for you to make him happy?" He patted my shoulder encouragingly. "Live and be happy."

I looked down at my lap.

"Prove to me that love is real…that love is strong. For Yoh's sake, live," he instructed me.

It was a challenge.

I nodded. He smiled at me tenderly.

"Sorry…I got your shroud wet," I mumbled, a little embarrassed.

He grinned pleasantly. "No problem. You can launder it for me then."

I glared at him. "Baka."

He laughed. "Tomorrow, we'll give your legs some nice exercise again."

"Don't you dare hold my kitten hostage again!"

"No, I won't. I'll hostage Yohmei next."

I laid myself wearily on my bed, patting Brownie to sleep. His fur was resting against my cheek, snoring softly.

"Hao gave you quite a scare, didn't he?" I whispered. I looked up at the ceiling. "But he did make me think of a lot of things. I didn't expect to learn these things from him…of all people, him who detests love."

"But awhile ago…it was so easy to imagine that he had a lot of love within him, masked deeply. Or how else could he stitch together such words?"

I closed my eyes. "Good night, Yoh."

Then in my mind, I quietly bade his brother good night too.

**tsuzuku**


	5. 5

I sat down the rock and watched Anna walk towards me unsteadily, her hands holding on against the wall to be sure she wouldn't fall over.  
  
"Can't you get any faster?" I asked, knowing at once how she would react.  
  
I wasn't wrong. Her eyes blazed with anger.   
  
"You do know…that I just let go of the wheelchair just a week ago," she said, wincing. Her legs were still hurting, I know. It was just I couldn't resist making her a bit mad – her display of glorious female fire makes her so breathtakingly beautiful to me.  
  
Shirayuki-hime ran towards her, followed by a more energetic and hyper Brownie. My eyes crinkled into a smile when I saw her eyes soften. The two creatures were always her weakness.   
  
"Hai, you two will eat, just wait," she said. She then turned her attention back to crossing the some five feet between us. Her steps were light, even a bit shaky, but very determined.   
  
It had been two months since I challenged her to live and be strong for my brother. She had been getting along with it very well, if I may say so. Her housemates told me that she had slowly returned to normal, even eating with them in the dinner table at times. She could also entertain Yoh's friends without bursting into tears anymore. They spoke no thanks, but I could feel it when they look at me and give me occasional smiles.  
  
I didn't count the days that passed by – I would get lost in the moments that I was in her company. However, I would be reminded by the growth of Shirayuki-hime and Brownie, and the little changes in the Dragon Lady herself.  
  
"Your hair has grown a bit longer," I said out of the blue, startling the itako. She self-consciously touched the tendrils of her soft, golden hair. I smiled at what she did. "Don't cut it anymore. I like it – makes you femininely soft."  
  
I saw her cheeks color slightly, to my amusement. I knew my brother was never verbally demonstrative with his undying admiration for the itako's beauty, thus explaining her shock whenever I give her bluntly spoken compliments.  
  
"I didn't grow it long to please you!" she snapped, then continued on her struggle to reach me. She had to let go of the wall now- there was nothing to hold on to anymore but herself – as she crossed to the other side to reach me.  
  
Minutes later, she collapsed by my feet, relieved to finally reach her destination.  
  
"That was satisfactory," I said, glancing at the skies. "But you do have to hasten your pace."  
  
"You're helping me to walk, not to run a marathon," she snapped.  
  
I paused, then laughed. "You're right, but you bored me back there." It was a lie, of course. Watching her every graceful move is anything but boring, but I wanted to see her mad again.  
  
I wasn't disappointed. Her almond-shaped eyes burst into angry flames. "You don't have to do this then! I can walk on my own! I don't need you to look after me anymore!"  
  
I chuckled. "Your sense of humor has no sense."  
  
Her eyebrow arched. "Speak for yourself." She forced herself to stand up, holding on to the edge of the rock I was sitting on, shunning away the hand I was offering to her.  
  
I let out a laugh of pure delight. "The way you're groping on the rock I'm sitting on, you might end up touching something else."  
  
Her face turned crimson. "Damn you," she hissed before finally accepting my hand.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
When we returned to the Asakura House, we found Ren Tao seated patiently in the living room. When he saw Anna, he got up quickly.  
  
The itako nodded at him, and they both sat down. I lingered in the living room, pretending to look at the patternless pattern of the walls.  
  
Ren shot a look at me, but knowing I won't go, he turned to my sister-in-law again. "Anna, my sister wants to invite you to take your vacation in our hometown in China," he began.  
  
She was about to speak up when he interrupted her. "Do not worry about the stress of the travel. Our private plane can charter us back and forth China and Japan, and I will ask Faust to come with you for your medical security."  
  
She looked down at her lap. "It had been two months since his death…I don't think I can afford to do a vacation."  
  
"When then will you be ready?" he asked.  
  
"Check on her after two decades," I said.  
  
"Shut up!" Anna cried, to Ren's astonishment. Even more so when I immediately obeyed the itako.  
  
"Please tell your sister that I thank her for inviting me…but not now…maybe someday, but not now," she said wearily.  
  
I fought the urge to laugh. I knew I was right in saying two decades.  
  
I paused when Ren reached over and patted her hand. "I understand, and nee-san will understand you too. I'm just glad that you can already walk without the wheelchair."  
  
She smiled a little and nodded. "I'm glad too."  
  
I suddenly went to the itako and pulled her up the seat roughly. She let out a cry.  
  
"What the hell do you think are you doing?!" cried Ren, aghast at my roughness.  
  
"It's time for her bath," I said, smiling insincerely at the Chinese shaman. "I still have a lot of things to do so I better get started on that one chore."  
  
Anna's eyes widened. "Bath?!!" She couldn't protest because I had already carried her in my arms out of the living room.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Are you crazy?!!" she yelled, intending to disable my eardrums. "You never give me baths! What were you thinking when you implied to them that we're that intimate?"  
  
"Nothing," I shrugged. "I just feel like saying it."  
  
"Damn you! Now what will he and Yoh's friends think of us?!! Of me?!!" she snapped.  
  
"That you are a hygienic woman who takes baths everyday?" I guessed, my mouth twitching.  
  
"Damn, it's not funny!" she screeched. "Yoh just died, and here am I, getting intimate with his brother, the same person that nearly took Yoh away from us for good?"  
  
My smile vanished. I deposited her back to her feet. She swayed a little, and I steadied her with my hands. "Never bring that up again, do you understand?" I asked quietly, looking at her grimly.  
  
She avoided my gaze. "The truth hurts, doesn't it?"  
  
"You have no idea how much, but it's none of your business anyway," I replied.  
  
Her eyes blazed again. "Yet you barge into my peaceful existence, then meddle with my life, then start ordering me around. I am your business and you aren't mine. How about that?"  
  
My eyes twinkled. "I'll allow you to make my life your business too, but you'll have to marry me first."  
  
Her eyes widened in shock, and her hand automatically slapped my face. I touched my swollen cheek, then smiled at her. "Must I remind you at what I told you before, dear one?"  
  
"What-"  
  
I grabbed her hand that slapped me, then used it to pull her closer to me. "That the next time you slap me, I would punish you in my own ways?" I whispered huskily.  
  
I felt her soft body tense in my arms. "Let me guess…I saw these in movies already…you'll kiss me?" Her voice shook, but she bravely met my gaze, telling me that no kiss could ever punish her.  
  
"Worse," I said, bending down to lean to her ears. "I'll make you wash all my clothes, including my underwear." I suddenly let her go and began to take my clothes off.  
  
"Wha- stop it!" she yelled frantically. I didn't bother to listen. My mantle was on the ground already, and I was unbuckling my pants already.  
  
"H-Hao!" she cried desperately. "I-I'm sorry!"  
  
I paused from my act of pulling my pants down. "Pardon me?"  
  
"I-I'm sorry…"  
  
"No…say my name again."  
  
Her cheeks turned red. She looked down at the floor. "No…"  
  
"Do it." I threateningly placed my hands on my trousers again.  
  
Her eyes widened, then she looked at her lap. "H-Hao…"  
  
I felt my mouth curve upwards in a very pleased smile. I began to button my pants again. "You have this strange lovely way of saying my name and making it sound like a melody. Thank you, Anna." I gathered the mantle by my feet. "You are forgiven, as long as you call me by my name."  
  
Our conversation was cut when Kino arrived, holding Shirayuki and Brownie. "Your pets are already complaining of hunger. You must feed them already." The old woman didn't bother to ask anymore why a heavily blushing Anna was seated on the floor while I was hurriedly putting on my mantle.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Master Hao looks so happy," noted Opacho as the two of us lied down the grassy land, staring at the stars.  
  
"That obvious?" I asked, laughing quietly. Beside me, Shirayuki was lying on my arm, sleeping. She must have exhausted herself from the chases with Brownie.  
  
"Master Hao looks happier tonight than the time he had learned to control the Spirit of Fire. Opacho is very happy too," my servant said.  
  
My mouth curved again when I remembered how she called me by my name. That happening was good enough to let go of the chance seeing Anna laundering my clothes.  
  
"Very happy," concluded the little Opacho upon seeing me smile again.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
tsuzuku 


	6. 6

I was resting peacefully with the unusually placid Brownie in my lap when I suddenly heard the door open. I already knew at once who my guest was – the only one who still hadn't learned the ethics of knocking.

"Ohayou, Gishi!" Asakura Hao greeted cheerfully.

"I see nothing good in my morning," I said hollowly, then looked out at the drizzle outside. "Brownie and I couldn't play outside."

"Look at my face and you'll realize how good your morning is today." He sat down on my bed and looked at the tray. "No breakfast left-over?"

I knew that even if he was pretending to sulk, he was delighted to know that my appetite is returning.

"Ah, never mind!" He faced me again. "Get dressed, Anna. We're going to run an errand for my daddy," he smirked.

"Why don't you go all by yourself?" I snapped.

"Because I'll miss you," he teased.

"Well, I won't," I said, narrowing my eyes at him. To my dismay, he only seemed to enjoy my gaze at him. He arrogantly preened as I inspected his wares icily. Later, I looked away first. This man was impossible! He was bestowed with so much overpowering confidence!

"So…are you coming with me or are you coming with me?" he asked, grinning.

"What kind of a question is that?" I asked wearily. "Either way, I'll end up with you."

"At least you can't say I didn't give you options," he laughed.

To my surprise, he allowed me to use my wheelchair.

"The town is quite far, and I'm not sure if you can stand such a tiring walk," he said, voice hinting genuine concern, as he helped me to my chair. He placed a blanket on my lap, a scarf around my neck, and a bonnet on my head. He then turned to Tamao, who was clutching Shirayuki and Brownie.

"Feed them on time and don't lose them from your sight, do you understand?" he asked authoritatively. She nodded. He then grinned at her. "Thanks, Cherry." He seemed amused when the pink-haired girl blushed. I sighed audibly, and his eyes moved to me, twinkling with mischief.

"Do you always do that?" I asked when we were on the road already.

He feigned cluelessness. "Huh?"

"Do you always flirt like that?" I asked again. "Even to little girls?"

"When did I flirt?" he asked, rubbing his cheek.

I rolled my eyes. "Awhile ago, with Tamao."

"Oh, _that_. It meant nothing to me," he shrugged.

"Well, I've got news for you, Asakura Hao," I said through gritted teeth. "Tamao is the type of girl who is easy to be drawn by silken words! She's so innocent, so I ask that you leave her alone!"

He blinked, then laughed. "Anna, don't tell me…you're jealous!"

My eyes grew wide. "Damn you! I was merely-"

"But if the lady wishes me to stop being friendly with women, I shall grant her request." He gave me a heart-stopping grin. "After all, you are my priority."

I knew I was supposed to feel angry at his deliberate flirting again, but I couldn't understand why his last statement tugged something within me. I could only stare at him, wondering where my coherence went.

He must have noticed the awkwardness so he looked away in silence.

We maintained the tension until we reached the town.

"Master Mikihisa made you go downtown to buy Butterfingers?" I cried in disbelief when he finished paying the purchase.

He held up the bag of various chocolates, smiling. "Well, we also have Hershey's Cookies and Cream here. Yum!" He held up another plastic bag. "I made my own purchase too – a bottle of energy milk drink for Brownie and Shirayuki!" He looked at me eagerly to see my reaction.

I was smiling in amusement and disbelief. "You bought milk for the kittens?"

"Yup. I want them to remain strong and healthy!" He began to push the wheelchair out of the store. "I bought you milk too," he said quietly. "For the same purpose I have with the kittens…and more."

I blinked.

He smiled, shaking his head. "Nothing." He then noticed the nearby town park. "Come, let's check that place out first."

"This is the place I would never regret to die protecting," he told me as we passed by the flower-adorned lane leading to the fountain area of the park.

I had to nod in agreement, but flinched when I felt his gaze on me. I never liked the intensity of his gazes – they could be frighteningly hypnotic too. They could make me do stupid things.

Like what I'm doing now, sneaking a glance up at my brother-in-law.

Only to find him looking at me with the same intensity, perhaps even more, when he spoke of the place he would never regret to die protecting. His eyes were telling me that he felt the same way too about me.

"Anna?" My name rolled out of his tongue silkily, sending shivers up and down my spine.

"Y-Yes?" I congratulated myself for successfully keeping out the shakiness in my voice.

He smiled gently. "Please don't look at me that way. You can drive any man to his knees with such gazes."

"And what do you mean by that?" I snapped.

He laughed, a hint of nervous relief in his voice. "Nothing." He continued to push my wheelchair towards the center of the park. I didn't know why he suddenly sounded so relieved.

"What are those coins doing under the water?" asked Hao when we sat by the fountain.

"People who sit here throw it there," I explained, marveling at the fact that Asakura Hao knew so much, but understood so little about people.

"Why?"

"They make a wish there, and they believe that when a coin is thrown as offering, their wish would come true."

"That's stupid," he said. "A penny can't grant wishes."

"It's not the penny that can make the wish come true," I said quietly. "It's the faith of the person."

He paused.

"Watch me." I took out a coin and tossed it to the water. I then clasped my hands together and wished quietly.

When I looked at him, he was watching me, awed.

"I would never have imagined that you will be the type to believe in silly, romantic things," he said, smiling.

"Then join me." I handed him my last coin in my purse.

He hesitated, then took the coin and threw it down the fountain. He shut his eyes for a moment to say his wish.

"So what did you wish for?" I asked when he opened his eyes. 

"I'm telling mine if you tell me yours," he said, grinning wickedly.

I blinked, then looked down at my lap. "Alright. I wished that I…that I…"My mind echoed the words I used to make a wish. However, when I looked at him, I lost my courage. I knew he might just use it to tease me _ad infinitum_.

"I have a feeling you won't tell me," he said, grinning. "Oh well, I don't think I can say mine too."

"Damn you! What if I was able to tell you my wish and you didn't tell me yours?" I snapped.

He grinned, then pushed my wheelchair again.

I sighed exasperatedly, then leaned back on the chair, suddenly feeling tired. I was so used to the stillness of my room that even a short activity like this has taken much of my strength and energy.

I then felt my chair stop. I turned to him, but he was nowhere in sight. I frowned. "Hao?" I straightened myself. "Hao? Hao, where the hell are you? Hao?" I began to feel nervous, although common sense insists that he won't leave me just like that.

I got my answer when he returned, coming from behind. He was holding two cones of ice cream. "Sorry for leaving you so abruptly, but I thought you were sleeping already," he apologized.

I tried to hide my relief with my temper. "You knew I was sleeping and yet you left me all by myself?! Didn't you even think of the consequences of what you did? That someone might take interest on me and suddenly whisk me off while you're away?"

"The ice cream man is just some feet away," he said patiently.

She bit her lip, embarrassed. Of course, Hao would know better than to just desert her. How could have she doubted the same man who gave her back the desire to walk again?

"I see you've come to realized a few flattering things," he guessed, then handed me a cone.

"Shut up, Asakura."

"My name, please."

"I'm glad you knew what my favorite flavor is." I idly licked the dripping mocha off my wafer cone.

I paused when I saw his eyes on me. I blushed. "W-What are you looking at?"

"I found the perfect blackmail today." He suddenly knelt in front of my lap. "Call me by my name, or I'll lick the ice cream on your finger."

I tried to shake my head nonchalantly. "I won't call your bluff, Asakura Hao."

"Suit yourself." He took my hand into his in one swift move, and in slow motion, brought my fingers to his lips.

I felt electricity run up and down within me. How could have I even thought of taunting him? He was the devil himself, unafraid of any dare!

I opened my mouth to apologize, but a moan escaped my throat instead. His tongue was caressing my mocha-teased finger already.

"H-Hao…" I said shakily when his lips had slipped its way up to my palm already.

He looked up at me briefly, his eyes burning with frightening passion. "Damn, you should have said that earlier." He reluctantly planted a chaste kiss at the back of my palm and got up. To my dismay, I felt emptiness crawl within me. Kami-sama, I _enjoyed_ what he did!

"You won't be giving me any sleep tonight, lady," he said gruffly. He started to push the wheelchair again.

He shouldn't be so mad; I know I won't be having much myself too.

That night, as I held my palm close to my heart, I looked out at the shining star that I guessed was Yoh. "Your stupid brother just tongue-kissed my palm! Gah, his audacity! Even you have not kissed me that intimately! Ooh, I hate him!"

I could picture his laughing face, and I smiled. "Enough of him. Yoh, I wished awhile ago that I would find the man who will love me the way you did. Since you're up there and you can see basically every man from there, can you help me find Mr. Right?"

The star twinkled, as if saying, 'Of course!'.

At that moment, I heard someone call my name. I looked down and found Hao standing by the house, waving.

I felt my heart stop. No, it was just a coincidence. It had to be!

"I forgot to say good night!" he said, grinning.

"Damn you!" I yelled. He left awhile ago without saying anything when he brought me home. I was relieved then – I didn't know how I could talk to him again after what happened.

But from the way he greeted me, he must have recovered already.

He smiled. "Thanks. Sweet dreams to you too!"

I looked up at the star. "You didn't mean that, did you, Yoh?"

The star twinkled again.

**tsuzuku**


	7. 7

It was just like any other mornings I've woken up to ever since I had assumed my brother's responsibility of looking after the stubborn itako. Well, a little rainier than usual, but it couldn't erase my cheerfulness. Everyday had been a pleasant gift-wrapped surprise for me ever since I became Anna Kyouyama's caretaker.

Caretaker. I liked the sound of that, especially when used with the itako's name in one sentence.

I continued on my way to the Asakura House.

To my surprise, the community of elders in the family were having a pow-wow. I was about to ignore them and head straight for Anna's room when my grandmother suddenly called me.

"Asakura Hao!"

I had no choice but to go to her. "Yes, lovely Obaasan?"

"Anna left this early morning to look for her kitten, but she hasn't returned yet. Will you help Tamao look for her?" asked Kino after glaring at me, suspiciously reminding me of Anna's own infamous glares.

I frowned. "Why did you let Anna go off all by herself anyway?"

This prompted everyone to give me strange looks. I silently castigated myself- even for her caretaker, my tone was too concerned. 

Mikihisa replied for them. "She insisted that she can take care of herself…and you don't argue with a woman like her."

Yohmei nodded solemnly, his eyes cast sideways on Kino.

I couldn't help but smile at their acts. "Fine, I'll look for her." I was about to turn my back on them when Mikihisa suddenly threw me a bar of Butterfingers®.

"It might come in handy," he said, and whatever his reaction could be was hidden by the silly bird mask covering his face. I really should buy him something else to cover his face. I heard an Ultraman rubber mask was on sale dowtown.

"Anna! Anna!!!" My voice was being carried by the chilly wind, but instead of being grateful for that, worry was creeping inside me. What if Anna left for the forest without anything to protect her but that piece of cloth she calls a bandanna?

"That foolish woman…what was she trying to prove anyway, going there all by herself?" I wondered. "Ah, I hate her! I had never felt this upset before…not even when Yoh came back to life in our last match. If I don't find her…I…I don't know what I would do."

I paused. What was I thinking? Brooding like that couldn't help the situation! Where did my rationale go? Was it carried away by the panic slowly forming within me?

Before my thoughts could get any more stupid, I heard a familiar voice, a soft cry, but it was enough to jolt me alert. Only one voice could do that.

"Anna, where are you?!!!" I yelled.

"Over here!!!"

"Where here-"I took a couple more steps to the left, then the ground beneath my boots crumbled. I slid down the ground for what seemed like a minute, then landed painfully on my rear in the quagmire.

"_Here_ here," said Anna, eyes narrowed. "I wouldn't have thought you were stupid enough to fall here too just to make sure where I am."

I blinked, then suddenly pulled her into my arms, laughing. "Anna!!!"

"What do you think are you doing?!! You're getting me dirty and I just cleaned-ugh!" She soiled my mantle with her hands. She looked up at me worriedly, but I was still laughing too hard to say something. Beside us, Brownie, a bit muddy too, was playing with the strands of my hair.

I never knew what relief really was until I realized that the itako was safe after all.

"I heard Brownie meowing here, so I tried to climb down, but the ground beneath me shook and broke loose. I-I think I sprained my leg," she glanced at her right leg.

"Ah, don't worry. The ascent won't be so hard. Our only problem for now is the rain. I don't want you to catch cold." I looked around the small cave by the mudfield and smiled. "We'll have to stay here and wait for the rain to stop."

"You don't look worried," commented the itako, narrowing her eyes at me. "Aren't you worried about anything at all?"

I contorted my face in mock anxiety. "No, in fact, I'm a chronic worrywart. I worry about what the dogs are thinking when they look at me. I'm worried about the career of Britney Spears. I worry about marrying an Eskimo woman who would send me adrift an iceberg when she loses interest on me. I worry about the end of the world coming while I'm sitting on a toilet bowl." I tried my best to look sullen. "I'm really, really worried."

She rolled her eyes, as if disbelieving that she was conversing with me at all. "You always say women are next to impossible in figuring out when the likes of you are _impossible_, do you know that?"

I nodded eagerly, as if I was a pre-school pupil learning arithmetic for the first time in my entire life.

She rolled her eyes yet again.  "They say that people like you who breeze into life just like so are those who are trying to escape a sordid past. I haven't heard much about your past life, except that you were perpetually dissatisfied and that you tried to start a rebellion against the Ying Yang Masters."

"Do you really want to know about my unhappy past?" I asked.

She paused.

"When I was a child, I was often beaten up by my stepfather. He allowed me to be gang-raped by a community of gays. He would stuff me into the cabinet of Obaasan, and he would often stub his cigarette's butt on me as if I was an ashtray. He won't even let me shampoo my hair too because he thinks it would be a waste of money." I tried to look teary-eyed. "Worst of all, I was circumcised without an anesthesia."

She slammed my head with her itako beads. "I'm serious!"

Laughing, I caught her hand. "I was just trying to make you smile." My eyes twinkled as my fingertip lightly touched the twitched corners of her pink cherry-like mouth. "Like that."

She let out one of her soft cries of surprise again, setting my adrenalin on fire.

"You live to toy with people," she said after awhile. "I wonder how is it to live your life."

I turned serious. "You won't like it very much," I admitted. "Life would be very boring for you, as if breathing and existing would be just motions you would have to go through. That's why…that's why…" I smiled at her tenderly. "I was really grateful that Yoh gave me a chance to know you."

She gasped. "H-Huh?"

"Although you're not a woman that is very easy to get to know, it made things  better." I tipped her chin lightly with my finger, smiling still. "You are not very easy to read, you know that? Believe it or not, you frighten me a little, Gishi. You are the most mysterious woman I've ever met."

"But you act as if you can read my thoughts well," she murmured, confused. Her eyes were wide in unwarranted innocence, or was it just me?

"It's just that, well, I'm attuned to you now," I admitted, smiling impishly as I pinched her cheeks fondly.    

The minute I rested my fingers on her smooth, milky skin, I realized the fatality of my mistake, because as if it was a natural course for me, my head followed.

"H-Hao!" She looked up in alarm, and that too, was her mistake.

My mouth met hers that was gaped open in surprise. I penetrated her honey-sweet lips with no problem, and found myself slowly losing my wits in her warm sweetness. My ears lost the power to hear the rain, the mews of Brownie; my eyes were only for her, and my hands were attached to her skin like magnet…everything in me was paying homage to this woman whose every touch could set me on fire, even more than my own furyoku did.

I left her mouth for a while, panting. "Anna…"

Her eyes shook, then looked down. "T-The rain…I think it stopped."

"OK," I agreed quietly. We both need some time to think about what happened. I helped her up, then shook my mantle off to wrap around her. She nodded gratefully, but awkwardness remained while I walked her home, holding Brownie too.

I then remembered something. I took out the slightly smashed Butterfingers from my glove and offered it to her. "Want some?"

She nodded again and smiled. I was relieved; Mikihisa's chocolate did come in handy after all!

As Tamao fussed over Anna, I was ushered by the community of the groovy Asakura oldies into their clandestine meeting.

"We thought it over, Hao, and we realized that Anna has mourned long enough," began Kino.

I nodded. "And…"

"We decided that she has to busy herself with something already," said Yohmei. "It would help her heal faster."

"And it would benefit you too. You won't have to look after her anymore," quipped Kino.

"So what are you trying to say?" I asked. 

Mikihisa was quiet all throughout the discussion.

"We're going to ask one of Yoh's friends to marry her," explained Kino.

The first word that shouted across my mind was a resounding 'No!'. However, I kept my emotions checked. "Tell you what, you don't have to do that."

Mikihisa looked up, as if he was sensing what I was about to say.

"I'll marry Anna Kyouyama myself," I announced.

**tsuzuku**


	8. 8

Asakura Hao would marry me? I still couldn't get over what I overheard in Hao's conversation at that moment. I could feel Tamao's gaze on me, and I immediately felt the urge to do something about it.

I burst into the living room angrily. "Never! I will never marry you!"

Everyone, including Hao himself stopped talking.

"No one understands…" I wiped a tear angrily away from my eye. "I am contented to live with Yoh's memories. Remembering him makes me happy, and I don't need another person to fill in his shoes. I'm happy!"

"How can you be happy when you let his memories haunt you like a ghost?" he asked calmly.

"I love him!" I screamed. "I will never forget him!"

"I'm not asking you to forget him. I'm asking you to move on," he said.

"With you?" I asked spitefully.

"With me," he said, nodding emphatically. "Only with me. Any other man who dares to take your hand for marriage would have to deal with me first."

I felt my face turn warm when I felt the shocked gazes of the Asakura elders.

"Then we'll have to ask you first to prove yourself if you are worthy enough a man for her," decided Kino, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

To my surprise, something flickered in his face- one that could have resembled hurt, but I wasn't sure.

"Do you think I would do anything to hurt her?" he asked quietly.

Words that made the defenses within me crumble. I stepped back, then fled into my room.

"Ms. Anna!" called Tamao, but to my relief, she didn't follow me. Kino was quick to restrain her.

It had been more than a couple of hours since I threw myself on my bed and cried my heart out. Brownie was peering at me, as if bothered by my muffled cries.

With Herculean strength, I lifted my head and forced myself to smile. "S-Sorry, Brownie. I…I can't play with you now."

He mewed, whining. I brushed his fur with my finger. "B-Brownie, I don't know what to do. H-Hao wants to marry me…and I know I should refuse. My heart is for Yoh only – I told him, myself and everyone else that I would love only him. A-And marrying his brother…"

I looked at my wet pillowcase. "I know I wished that I would find a man who will love me the way Yoh did. It was a stupid wish…why ever did I do that?"

Brownie purred and crawled next to my cheek. It settled there and slept.

I smiled through my tears. "Marry me, Brownie. At least I'm sure that you would marry me for the right reason- you love me, and I love you. Not just because your brother made you promise in his death that you would look after me."

"Does Brownie have erections?" asked a familiar voice.

My eyes immediately went to the window. There Hao stood, smiling uncertainly at me.

I rubbed my eyes shamefully. "Unlike you, I believe that in relationships and in the dictionary, love comes before lust. I'm not a sex maniac like you."

"I was just trying to make you laugh," he said, letting himself into my bedroom. "You've cried for more than two hours and a half. Your tear ducts have released enough water to power Izumo hydroelectrically."

"You made me cry," I said, trying to grasp my sane mind back.

"I didn't. I offered you something that most men would deny women – my name. Then you burst into tears," he said. "But if you believe I caused your sadness…I'm so sorry then."

"Hao…" I looked at him sideways and saw the sincere regret in his eyes.

"Anna, believe me but I really do want to marry you," he said, his words carefully chosen.

"Because Yoh said so."

"Yoh asked me to look after you. I would marry you in my own initiative, with my own reason."

"What reason?" I had to ask that, although I was afraid of what his answer would be.

He paused, then sighed. "Because I have erections and Brownie doesn't."

I felt my mouth widen, and something resembling a chuckle come out of it. I was…laughing.

Hao smiled. "So…Anna, will you marry me?"

I looked at the eyes of the man who could anger me, make me cry, then make me laugh so effortlessly. The one who encouraged me to continue walking the path of life. Hao Asakura, whom I detest vocally and care for secretly.

"Why should I?" I asked, masking my tone with iciness.

He grinned. "I'll give you a hundred and one reasons."

"What are these for?" I asked the next morning when he arrived in my room, holding a basket of roses.

"I'm courting you," he shrugged.

"E-Excuse me?"

"My first reason why you should marry me- because I would shower you with flowers everyday," he smiled.

"T-Then I should have just thought of marrying a florist instead." But I accepted the basket. "And don't tell me that the florist doesn't have erections."

He grinned devilishly. "Not as developed as mine."

I felt my cheeks turn warm. It wouldn't do that I indulge him in wit exchanges- he would never run out of things to say, especially now that he had taken a liking upon the word 'erection'.

"My second reason is because I cooked you breakfast," he said, turning to the tray on my bedside table.

"Is that edible?" I asked suspiciously.

"That's my third reason- the breakfast I cooked is edible."

I sampled the pancake, and my face soured.

"I never said it was delicious," he said quickly. "I-It was my first time to cook."

"Too sweet," I complained.

"That's how sweet I am."

"It's nauseating."

Hao chuckled. "You were able to swallow it, didn't you?" He started to peel the orange on my plate.

I watched him, bewildered. "Stop that."

"You want me to peel the apple then?" he asked.

"No. Why are you doing these things?"

"I told you, I'm courting you."

"Do you honestly think these things would make me change my mind?" I asked, amused.

"Would you rather me say something I'm sure you won't believe?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Rock my world."

His eyes went back on the fruit he was peeling. "I think in love with you."

I felt my heart stop its beating – in fact, I could have sworn the world stopped moving. Everything was still, except for Hao, who was imperturbably engrossed with peeling the oranges.

 "Liar," I finally found my voice.

"Next time, don't ask for the truth then when you won't believe it," he said, voice a little sharp.

"Do you really believe that someone like you is capable of loving?" I asked, desperately gripping what was left of my cold defenses.

"I just did," he said curtly.

I looked down, not knowing what to say. Hao thinks he loves me? How? Why? Since when? For the first time in my entire life, I was at lost as to what to do next. I had been so used to choose detachment for my defense mechanism as my best shroud from unexpected emotions, but something as unexpected as this? I wasn't equipped to deal with these kind of confrontations.

"Here." Hao handed me the orange he peeled as if he said nothing significant. He then realized that I was crying again.

"Damn. Anna, what is it with me that always makes you cry? Do you really hate me that much that I end up making you bawl every time?" he asked.

"Leave me alone," I said, but to my dismay, my voice broke.

"Do you really think I would leave you, when you're looking like that?" he asked.

_Hao, stop doing this. Stop being so caring. I'm supposed to hate you. _My thoughts couldn't find an outlet though. The strength to even open my mouth has left me.

He sat down beside me and looked at me earnestly. "I can never be like the first man you loved and maybe your feelings would never fade, but I don't mind. I just don't want you to be alone."

_But how can I hate him when he speaks like that?_

His palm found its way to my wet cheeks. "Let's give it a try, Anna. If you feel that it will be better for you to be alone, I'll go. You'll never ever see me again, I promise."

It was so easy to say "yes"; my heart was all for it. However, a part of my mind still had doubts.

And he sensed it. He got up. "Come with me, Anna."

I got up, puzzled.

He led me to Yoh's grave- a place that I never tried visiting even once. I took a step back, but his hand stopped me.

"H-Hao…" My eyes were wide in fear and sorrow.

"Find your way back, Anna. Wherever that 'back' is, it's for you to decide." He bowed at his brother's grave and walked away.

I bit my lip as the figure disappeared. I then turned to the grave. No one had tried bringing me here after the accident, afraid that it would do nothing good to me. I wasn't even allowed to see Yoh's funeral. And now, after almost four months since that fateful day, I was with Yoh again.

"Yoh…" I called.

His spirit suddenly appeared. "Hello Anna!"

I stifled a gasp. "I…I didn't summon you."

Amidamaru appeared too. "Hao told us you were coming."

"Hai!" agreed Yoh. "Ne, Anna, is he taking good care of you?"

I nodded. "H-He is."

"I told you, Anna. My brother is a good man," said my fiancée proudly.

"He wants me to marry him," I admitted.

Yoh's eyes lit up. "Good!"

"H-Huh?"

He grinned at me. "Anna, I would hate the thought of you left alone all your life. Don't you think it's time to let go and be happy?"

"B-But…" My eyes shook. "I love you, Yoh."

He blinked, then blushed. "Thanks. But if you love me, if you really _really_ love me, do one thing for me."

"Anything."

"Be happy," he said. "And I've watched over you. I know he can make you happy."

"Yoh…"

"He is the last person in the world who will deliberately hurt you." His hand touched my cheek. "I know, because I can feel it."

"You're…you're giving me the blessing to give my heart to someone else?" I whispered.

"There are lots of love in your heart, Anna. It's not right to be selfish and keep them all," he explained. "Especially when I know that my brother would die happily just to have a fraction of it."

"Hao…cares for me?"

"You don't know?" asked Yoh amused. "Aniki has been showing you his love for you in a thousand ways and you do not know?"

I was speechless.

"He's madly in love with you," asserted my fiancée. "He once told me that he never believed in love and in the human heart. Then he met you, and you made all his thousand-year-old beliefs crumble in a moment."

I got up shakily. "I still can't believe…"

Yoh grinned at me. "Go back home. He's waiting."

"B-But…" I looked at him.

He smiled. "Does spirits have erections?"

My eyes crinkled into a smile. "Yoh…"

"What I mean to say is, I'm dead, and he isn't. And he's ready to devote his entire life to you unconditionally. That kind of love comes rarer than blue moons, so why don't you seize your chance?" he said. "I am happy that you remember me, but memories, beautiful as they may seem, are not enough. You're still alive, and I want you to enjoy a good life that he would be able to provide you."

"Yoh…"

He nodded.

I rubbed my eyes. "I'm sorry for taking so long to let go of you. In the process, I hurt myself and the people around me. I…I hurt you and Hao too." My heart started to lighten.

He grinned as he slowly disappeared. "Be happy, Anna. That's all I ask of you."

I nodded. "I will, Yoh. I promise you that."

I smiled at the grave before walking back to the house. "I'm…I'm going back home."

**Last chapter out soon!**


	9. 9

I was sitting by the front steps of the Asakura House, looking out at the sky. I sighed once more, wondering what my brother and Anna were talking about now.

The next thing I knew, I felt someone sit down beside me. I untucked my other knee. "Of all the places in this house, you had to choose this place to lounge."

Mikihisa shrugged. "You're not paying the electric bill in the house so don't act as if you own this place."

Silence. I wasn't used to having people around me when I think, especially those who wear annoyingly distracting bird masks. I decided to indulge my father and converse with him.

"So what are you doing here?"

"Sitting."

"No. You want to see me suffer." I crossed my arms. "You came here to say 'I-told-you-so'."

"Really now, Hao. Do you really think I can do that to my son?" asked Mikihisa indignantly. After awhile, he spoke, "How did you know I was planning to do that?"

I shrugged, then laughed bitterly. "You told me not so long ago about the human heart. You told me that if I don't understand what real strength is, I would be half a man. Back then, I thought I was the strongest of all. However, when I met Anna, I realized how little my strength was compared to hers. She loved and lost, yet she lived on. As for me, I just realized how really painful is it to lose the one I love, and it hurts like hell. And I don't think I want to still live." I chuckled sadly. "How come no one prepared me for the pain love can bring? Yoh at least should have warned me about it, then I wouldn't have even tried to look at her."

"Now I understand what you say about the real meaning of strength. Now I understand how a thing as small and fragile as the human heart can be so powerful that it can lead people to both renewal and destruction." I smiled. "Now I know why Yoh died for Anna with no hesitation. If the same thing happens to me now, I'll gladly do the same for Anna, if only to thank her for opening my eyes and my heart to the beauty of loving." I exhaled sadly. "But love hurts like hell too… I wish it was me and not Yoh who died instead, then Anna won't be like this."

It took Mikihisa quite awhile before he was able to digest what I just said. "Hao Asakura, love is like a thief in the night; it comes when you least expect it."

"Yeah, but of all the things she could get from me, why did she choose to steal my heart?" I asked helplessly. "Now I don't know how I would live once I go away."

"You're leaving?" asked Mikihisa.

"Yes." I smiled bitterly. "You said it yourself- you can't control the human heart. I can't force Anna to love me, and even if I can, I won't. Call me ambitious, but is it wrong to hope that a woman would love me for the sake of loving and nothing else? That she would love me with her free will, and she would love me because I am me?"

"But leave Anna?" asked Mikihisa. "You were the one who pushed her out of her self-destructive doldrums. Why don't you wait? The girl will eventually love you."

"If you only know how much it hurts, to have someone you love more than your own life by you, but cannot love her openly. It's so frustrating!" I leaned against the pillar of the house. "Besides, I know where I stand. I can never have her heart."

"Don't say never." Mikihisa handed me a pack of chocolate. "Say it with Hershey's."

I had to smile. "OK, I'll try that." 

Mikihisa raised his bird mask a bit to show me his fatherly smile. "You are an Asakura Man, one who's not legendary not because of his Shamanic abilities, but also because he could charm even the most elusive woman in this green earth."

I had to smile; it felt awkward to act like this to someone I never had treated like a father before. "Please put that mask back to your face. You look awful."

"It's your fault, mostly," he reminded me.

I watched Mikihisa go. He told me something about him being in charge of the family dinner tonight. I thought about Yoh, and decided that they really were father and son. The Asakura Man should be legendary too because of him being a henpecked husband all the time.  

I raised my face when I heard the familiar footsteps walking towards my direction. Even from afar, I could sense her- living with her and loving her more and more everyday has given me the uncanny ability to memorize her every move, her every gesture, her every nuance. 

Ah, how ever did I get that silly idea that I could live without her? I would rather endure the pain of not having the right to love her, just as long as I could be with her all the time.

Anna Kyouyama arrived, a smile pasted on her face. My heart fell; only Yoh could make her smile like that. I had longed to see her that happy, and all it took was some minutes of conversation with my deceased brother.

"So…what did you guys talk about?" I asked, moving aside to give room to Her Royal Artic Highness. "The stock market? The weather?"

"Lots," she replied vaguely as she sat down beside me.

"The lottery results?" I asked.

She glanced at me, and for the first time found them without contempt. "You," she said simply.

I started to feel uncomfortable. So the two had the nerve to laugh at me behind my back. "What about me?" I asked after a while.

"He told me that you told him that you love me," she said.

"He told you that I told him that I love you?" I frowned. "I didn't know that Yoh was capable of gossiping and tattletaling!"

"Is it true?" she asked.

I nodded slowly.

"Since when?" she asked.

"Since you slapped me." I touched my cheek absent-mindedly. "In the desert, in the shaman fight. You were the first woman to stand up against me." In my mind, I added, _for the rest of the female species adored me._

"The second time I fell for you was when you vowed revenge against me after I took Yoh's soul back. I really felt jealous of my brother then, because someone like you loved him that much." I laughed as nostalgia hit me. "I let the shikigamis take care of you, because I was so afraid to hurt you."

"The third time I fell in love with you was when I saw you in the garden in Yoh's funeral. Then…" I grinned sheepishly. "…I lost count after the third. All I know is that I have fallen in love with you for so many times already, and each time I fall harder than the last. Ironically, I didn't know how hard I've fallen until now."

"So when Kino and Yohmei announced that someone else will marry you, I was alarmed. I then realized that I would be an utter fool to let you go, so I told them that I'd marry you. How should have I known that you'd react so violently?" I sighed helplessly.

She paused, then raised a brow. "Are you done with your speech, Hao Asakura?"

I felt my face burn. "S-Sure, you may have the floor now, Anna."

She sighed audibly, then asked, "Are you aware that I still love Yoh?"

I nodded, and god, it was the hardest, most painful thing I ever did in my life. 

"And you still say you love me?"

"With all my heart," I said. I quietly prepared myself for accepting her rejection.

But her next question, I totally never expected.

"Do you know that I love you for that?"

I blinked, then turned to Anna slowly. She was smiling, and she was smiling at me. At me, and not at Yoh. She was smiling the way I had dreamed of her smiling at me!

"I'm Hao Asakura," I said slowly.

"I'm not questioning your identity," she shot back.

My tentative smile blossomed into a full one. "I…I don't know what to say."

She looked at the Hershey's Kisses pack I was holding. "May I have some of your kisses then?"

I obliged. I gave her my best Kisses.

Kino's head popped out from the sliding door. "Yohmei wants Hershey's too-" She paused when she saw my hand gesturing her to shut the door and leave us alone. I couldn't speak; my mouth was too busy with Anna's. The dear old woman smiled and picked up the forgotten pack of Kisses by the floor, then left us.

"I love you so, Anna Kyouyama Asakura," I whispered on her lips.

"I…" Her cheeks turned pleasantly crimson. "…love you too, Hao. B-Because…because among other things, you have erections."

I chuckled and hugged her tightly. "Your sense of humor is improving."

She sighed contentedly and snuggled close to me. "I'm home."

I smiled. Finally, after the long, unsure journey of learning to love, I made it back home too.

** The end**


	10. 10

Thank you so very much again for reading Promises. Although at first, I had doubts as to how you guys would receive a Hao/Anna fic (and a dead Yoh), I was very glad that in the end, you guys enjoyed it.

Some of you commented that it ended too soon, so maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to come up with another Hao/Anna fic in the near future after I wrap Wanted: Perfect Husband up (the fic is also nearing its finale).

After quite a few days of brainstorming, I have decided to come up with a series for Promises, featuring my other non-canon couples. The first one, a Ren/Pirika story, will be posted after I finish He Loves Me.

But for the meantime, enjoy the excerpt from the first chapter of Promises 2.

Syaoran no hime 

I carefully carried the tray of snacks to the study, balancing precariously the bottle of milk and the plate of sandwich as I ascended the grand staircase of the Tao mansion.

At last, I arrived in front of the room. I used my foot to knock on the room, then waited.

As I scuffed my sneakers on the floor, I found myself reminiscing on the reason why I was staying in the Tao mansion.

Months ago, my onii-chan was training in the Tao compound when he met an accident, one that caused him to be put into comatose. The Tao family immediately decided to look after me while he still couldn't. 

I was so used to living close to Mother Nature, and I would have opted to continue living so, but the second time the Tao family invited me to live in the mansion, it had been impossible to say 'no'. Not when the one who was inviting you was a grim-looking Ren Tao.

~*~

"Onee-san wants you to stay with us in the mansion," said Ren, crossing his arms.

_I hugged Kororo to my chest, maintaining eye contact with the ground. I was afraid that if I meet his gaze, I might burst into flames, the way his eyes were piercing me. "I can make do on my own," I said quietly._

_"My sister doesn't think so," he said. "Stop wasting time and come with me."_

_I lifted my eyes to him, ignoring the throbbing in my chest. "No, thank you. I'm staying put."_

_"It seems that you do not know a Tao very well," he said darkly. "A Tao never accepts an answer contrary to what he seeks." With no overture, he grabbed my hand and dragged me with him._

_"W-Wait…" I looked down, feeling submissive and rebellious at the same time. I didn't want to leave the place, but there was something in him that could make 'no' disappear in my vocabulary._

_"Your brother would like it very much if he wakes up and you'll be the first person that he would see." Ren glanced at me briefly, and then continued walking briskly._

_The single fleeting look woke up something within my heart- one that made my heart jump out of its place. I had acknowledged back in the Patch Village that I felt something for the indifferent Chinese shaman, but two years after the shaman fight, the feeling hadn't died. His hands clasping mine lit the flame once again, waking up the sleeping embers within my heart._

_By the time we were seated in his car, I have come to realize that I still am madly infatuated with Ren Tao._

_~*~_

I sighed impatiently when the door didn't open. I decided to put the food tray down to try the doorknob. To my surprise, the door swung open freely. Since when had Ren forgotten to close the door of any room in the mansion?

Clutching the snack tray once more, I stepped into the room, eyes roving for living figures. Seeing none, I decided to put down the food tray and leave it there.

The Tao family treats me well, and they do not ask me to help out in cleaning the mansion because they had enough maids to clean the entire Patch Village, but when it concerns Ren's needs – his personal belongings, his food, his personal orders – I would make it a point to help out. I was happy already in serving him in little ways, even if he wasn't aware of it.

I then noticed a telegram on the table. I was about to stand up and ignore it when my eyes caught the name 'Yoh'. I frowned. So the letter came from Yoh Asakura? The same person onii-chan and Ren wanted to defeat?

To my shock though, it wasn't the friendly Yoh Asakura-sent letter that I expected; it was a telegram from Master Mikihisa, sending word about Yoh's recent death.

I read on.

Master Mikihisa wants Ren to go to Japan and attend Yoh's funeral, and to help out in cheering Ms. Anna up. He narrated that Yoh died right in front of her, so she was in trauma right now. The company of Yoh's friends might help her.

"Didn't your mother teach you not to touch things that aren't yours?" boomed a familiar voice.

I lifted my eyes from the paper and found Ren Tao standing in front of me, fresh from his regular gym session. He was perspiring all over, and his shirt clung to his muscled body. I nearly fainted- heavens, Ren could be so damn sexy!

"Well?" he snapped.

"G-Gomen," I choked.

He grabbed the letter from my hands and crumpled it. He dropped it on the floor, then grabbed the glass of milk on the snack tray. He took one big thirsty gulp of it.

I watched in fascination, as if I was watching his every move in slow motion. There was no angle that diminishes the Ren Tao sexiness- even his milk moustache was complimentary to him too.

He put the half-empty glass of milk and stared at me. "So what are you still doing here?"

I blinked. "N-Nothing."

His eyes narrowed at me. "Then get out already."

I cleared my throat. "Are you…really going to leave?"

"You read the letter."

"When will you return?" I asked.

He raised his brows quizzically. "If I do reply, what is it to you?"

I quickly shook my head. "I…I just want to know."

He exhaled sharply, showing his impatience with me. "I'll try to ask Anna to go with me back here."

"W-Why?" I asked.

"My mother wants me to present her a fiancée that I would marry when I reach the age of twenty-one. It's our clan tradition."

I tried to fight off the dread growing within me. "S-So Ms. Anna is the girl you're planning to-"

"It will just be a make-believe engagement anyway." He looked out at the window. "I have no intention of losing my much-valued freedom."

That didn't bring me much relief. Whether the engagement was real or not, I wouldn't have a chance with him.

"After my birthday, Anna and I can go separate ways, and my mother can do nothing anymore about it," he finished.

"I-If you're going to marry, why don't you try to keep your bride anyway?" I asked.

He looked at me as if I was some kind of a naïveté display. "Because I love my freedom."

"Oh." I felt like a concrete hollow block just slammed on my fragile heart.

He rubbed his temples. "And why am I explaining things like this to you anyway?"  He turned to the door. "Get out."

I nodded meekly and headed for the door. However, I couldn't resist sneaking a glance back at the boy I secretly love.

I had to smile as I let my eyes wander on his stone-cold but darkly handsome profile. I longed to run my fingers on him and trace his contour, in hope of softening its harsh, pointed edges.

Ren suddenly turned to me. His forehead creased when he saw me still standing by the door. "Do you have something else to say?" he asked curtly.

I shook my head and shut the door,


End file.
